New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-27
SELLING HORSES BY AUCTION.
WHERE TRoTTING STOCK GOES BEGGING.
HOW SALES ARE MADE AT THE AMERICAN HORSE
EXCHANGE


EXCHANGE.
Bitter dlsappointments attended the sale OF troting
stock which took place at the American Horse Ex-
change last week, dlsappontments OF kind that
sent bre sders bono owing never to come again to
" combination The catalogue from No. to No. 264
represented sorry lot Of horses take them all in
all, AS came under an au ctioneers hammer. The
prices fetched must have been heartrndng to owners
and vet the average seems to have been alr enough
when the qua ity OF the animals is considered Ger
tany Mr. Kellogg earned his commission on the sales.
for auctoneer never tried harder to arouse an
apathec crowd OF buyers than ne did Tor ye succes
sive days. Often did be spend fifteen and twenty and
even thirty minutes in eXtOlling the merits OF an I'M
broken colt or fv and begging the bidders to go
him five or ten dollars more. No could have got
better prices than he. 10 n Harry Clay two-year
old 20 begging q, $S5, when he should have been
snapped up at $500 $1,000 filed his soul with
anguish. What could he do People would not bid
tc men didn't want the colt at any price apparently.
and it was useless to ate apt to drive them to buy
Yet when a horse knocked down at such mi'era-
Bile figure many who had persistently refused TO
bid wished to himself that he had bought him.
The curious visitor at the sale must have come to the
conclusion that years must eapse before America will
have horse mart like that OF the lattersalls IN Eng
land Perhaps this country Is too Young fot such
place undoubtedly it is too big the distances here
are too " MAGNIFICENT" Tatersalrs with history
that goes back nearly hundred years, IN which there
is not dark spot ust continue TO be the horse
market OF the world, for the wOru continues to go
there to buy Sales occur every Monday through
out the year. aud on Thurdays during the height of
tbe season Turfmen and farmers and the many
classes of horse overs that fill the gap between the
patrons of racing and the OF toll make the place
headquarters. and there they pick up quantities OF
horse chat which in the OF time is seattle red
broadcast over the United Kingdom No wonder the
Eng ish people as a class know so much about the
animal that is nearest to man No wonder they love
him. tor to know the horse IA to love him
Imagine Young Mr.. Tattersall standing in his box on
sale ,il> rleadinq with the crowd to buy horse
What does he care tor u commission the uninitiaed
would ask upon seeing how summary he dlspOses OF
the brues that led into tue ring There Is no
dwelling upon creatures merits when he holds the
hammer Buyers supposed 10 know what they
want and the sum they will give Tor 1t, and begging
them il simply waste Ot time. S0nchO" II Is Inherent
here Not unirequeuly Il horse that II knocked down
at ~ coo or $1,000 at local sale starts In the bid
ding at less than 500 the price climbing up labor
iou-iy until the top OF the ladder Is reached. Such
sa'e that of last seek means. usually reunion OF
farmers and breeders and sporting men from all arts
OF the country. and revva OF interest IN borseiiesh
generally follows. Breeders come 10 see their stock
fetch fancy prices, and are disappointed. Farmers
come to pick M mare or colt or MY or TWO LOT u
song and generally succeed ou can tell farmer at
horse sale b, his bsamng tace The city sporting
man II on hand looking tor style and action lie
cares little and knows less about pedigree all he
wants - something tor hr lsh IN ctehth-aNe OF
iii, court OF the American Horse Exchange, in
which ha sdss are held. IL 100 ieet square naving
vaulted roo, OF glass; galleries on the lour
sides aud floor OF beaten earth From
three -.ics OF the court numerous doors
,,peu into stalls The fourth side is given up to
square twenty feet apart and parallel forming a lane
i'm which tie horse. made TO run e gauntlet OF
a. many eyes ~ crowd mp 10 the limo on either
side Vt cad OF this lane l. tile box III winch the
tuctioueer stands elevated some i've feet above the
heads OF the crowd. \ score OF stablemen IN check
Jumpers prop themselves mdilterently against posts
and rop,s, each iourshns a whip. y colt unbroken
TO thing except the batter Is led INTO the ZANE ana
trotted No 10 the auetionrcrs stand. His number is
hung upon the wall to the Left. aud seeing II. every
man in the place turns TO his catalogue TO mud the
creature pedigree. .s,oo, lin. Az
auction,cr sweeping his eye ~ one side OF the lane
and down the other and giving general glance over
the entire coast No takers. At motion OF biz hand
the person who leads the colt takes hold OF the SIDE
strap of the halter and begins to run with the animal
uD and down the lane. Stablemen on each side ana
M the ends uo, their wh!ps IN the colt
masses them Sometimes they strike HIM. sometimes
they simply make luriOus NOTION hut Int or MISS,
they neyel tail to inghten the lie near, out OF the
young horse. When one leader is tired out another
takes his place ana the cot is kept gong as hard as
he can tr0t while the auctioneer is pleading Tor bids
II the price does not climb last enough the halter Is
removed and the colt turned loose Then the whips
pop again, and the object OF all this solcitude Is
driven. half crazed, frOu end TO emu Oh the lane IN
his efforts to escape the lash the colt dashes madly
at the crowded rope. threatening to spring upon the
men who will not bid but they stand back. raise the
rope breast high and flourish their catalogues in his
face until he beats a retreat OF springs III another
direction.
1t is rather difficult to how u colt show his
qualities under such circumstances but It's the old
way you know; the people are used to 1t. The cynic
obliged to confess that they know a " boss when
they SEQ him. 1t is pedigree tat sells colt No
attention is paid to coat or co OF or general condition
of ssrytude. A good story is told OF millionaire
horse owner of this city who thought to throw dust
in the eyes of the trymen, a. he designated the
men who composed the thrOng of buyers at recent
sale He owns an exceptionally good animal, trotter
aultess in everything except lcdigree: OF that he
has an unlimited quantIty but quality. In plain
words the horse is one OF those accidents, OF which
New-York il iull to Overlooking. Well. he was entered
to be sold aud the friends OF the owner were present
to see him 20 OFT at big price-he was valued at
$1,000 They were disappointed for when the
countrymen were unable to learn the animals pedi
gree they would have none OF him. notwithstanding
his beauty and style and evident speed. lie Was
knocked down at insignificant price to the owner
who went home u wiser man.
Breeders complain OF the shoddy stock in the ke-
logg sale, expressing the opinion that such lot OF
Cheap horses ruined the chances the good ones mad
of bringing fair prices 4" | know a man on Long |
Island" remarked an intelligent horseman from
Dakota, " who let a good marc go tor 5000 simply |
because no had made up his mind not to bid on her.
unless she got high up as = 900 If she had
reached that figure he would have kept uD the |
bidding, 800 at jump"